Victim in fatal crash on Highway 99 identified as Atwater man

The Merced County Sheriff’s Office has identified the man killed Sunday in a crash on Highway 99 as 19-year-old Jack Vann.

The California Highway Patrol said the 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe that Vann was driving drifted off the roadway on southbound Highway 99. The Tahoe overturned in a ditch near East Atwater Boulevard. No other vehicles appeared to be involved, investigators said.

Vann was not wearing a seat belt, and the Tahoe landed on him and pinned him underneath. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The cause of the accident still was under investigation, the CHP said.

Reached by phone Tuesday, Vann’s family declined to comment.

According to an obituary submitted for Vann, the young man had lived in Atwater his entire life. He worked at Atwater Iron and Metal and in construction in Sacramento.

The obituary said Vann was engaged to be married and had a son, John.

This story was originally published March 15, 2016 at 6:23 PM with the headline "Victim in fatal crash on Highway 99 identified as Atwater man."